The works of Muhammed Mustafa Syeds pick out in depth the question of the positioning of the individual as a central theme. The photo series Portraits forms the center of the exhibition. It shows the Refugees of the Vienna Refugee Protest Movement during their protest at the Votiv church*. In these single portraits, the protagonists sit on a chair, dressed in in cap and scarf and warm winter clothing and they look directly into the camera. In the background you see pews (church benches) and church windows - they are sitting inside the cold Votiv church, it seems. Only a closer look reveals the different shooting axis of background and foreground and the artificial light conditions become visible.

Being forced to give up a place, being forced to search for a new, the experience of being allocated to a place (e.g. into the camps for asylum seekers), the effort to position oneself, to take a place in order to survive, these are every day experiences of the Refugees.

The virtuality of the surrounding space of the photographed persons, the Votiv church, creates an uncomfortable feeling; an unsettledness is spreading out from it. The space can be erased or changed digitally every minute. Then, the Refugees would be sitting in a bare non-space, at no place - or maybe at a place, which welcome them, a place where they can act and live self-determinedly.

The initiative Kunst_Kultur: Stop Deportations Now!** invited the artist to present his work at the main hall oft he Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. We curated and organized the show together with him and the Refugee Protest Camp Vienna.

Syed Muhammed Mustafa20 years, born in Parachinar in Pakistan

In Pakistan it is very dangerous, specially for Shia
people. I lived in Parachinar, a tribal area, located close to the
Afghanistan border. Before 2007 I had a very nice life as a professional
photographer. I had everything. On April 6th 2007 the fighting between
Shia people and the Taliban started. In 2008 they destroyed my home in
my town. In 2009 they destroyed my digital photostudio and my big truck.
My everything was finished.

My family moved to another city. For some months we
lived in a new home. We paid money for the rent. Some months later i
could not pay the money anymore and we moved out of the city to live in
tents. But my life was very bad. My life was not safe.

I went to Islamabad where i found a job as a
photographer. I worked one month. After one months the Taliban send a
letter to our boss, the owner of the shop. It said that if I will
continue working in his studio, they would destroy it as they have
already destroyed my home and studio in Parachinar. I left the
photostudio and went back to Parachinar.

After some months I went to Iran. Then to Turkey, then
to Greece and then to Austria. I came here for a peaceful life. I was
thinking if I went to Austria my life and my future would be better. But
I see the situation in Austria now and I cannot feel good. Because I
cannot see Human Rights here. I am staying in Austria without solutions.
I want to go to school, make German courses and learn photography. But
nobody could help me. I was tired of it and joined the demonstration and
the hungerstrike in the Votivchurch in December 2012. We were
hungerstriking for good answers. But I cannot find good news still. I
hope somebody helps us. We also have rights in this world. We also are
human beings.